In Sickness and Health
by inkfriends
Summary: It was as cold outside Yugi as it was inside him, freezing rain a perfect match to his heart, and still he was waiting for Yami to come and find him. Still waiting, even after everything. Abandonment fic, hinted YxY consider yourself warned
1. bus stop blues

In Sickness and Health

_Sometimes the day is long and makes your head hurt. My day was like that. My school had a half-day. It was still to long. That was mostly because I had some of Yugi's symptoms. This probably isn't helping._

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Yugi's head hurts. It's a dull throbbing pain, not quite a headache (it does ach, but not to the definition) but a throb in time with his heart beat that shows up with each time he looks out of the corner of his eyes. His nose might be running but it's hard to tell in the rain that's cascading on Domino City. The rain is cold but that's the point, Yugi wants to get sick. Maybe if he gets sick Yami, and Anzu, and Jonouchi, and well everyone, will look at him and not over him.

Yugi is sitting at a bus stop two blocks away from his grandpa's game shop. The park would be to far away and the roof would have been too easy. He does not have an umbrella so that the rain coming down in buckets soaks into the thin cloth of Yugi's school uniform. He is cold, so cold, toes and fingers long gone num and now there was black at the edge of Yugi's eyes and he feels so tired. A bone deep weariness that is half heartache and half illness. Yugi decides that Yami's warmth would be _sooo_ nice right now but he'll settle with a nap. He slumps over leaning on the bus stop poll and drifts into a fit full sleep.

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_Have fun reading the rest please review!_


	2. worrying

_It has a second chapter. That almost never happens with me so bask in the glory of puzzleshiping inspiration!_

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Yami has dragged a chair into the front hall and is starring at the front door. He has been starring at the front door for the last 2 hours because Yugi isn't home yet. Anzu dragged him out shopping and keep his attention away from his hicari.

After searching both the game shop and the house with a fine toothed come and not finding Yugi (he did how ever find two dollars in change, five duel monsters cards, and a granola bar) Yami is worried. It is only thru great restraint that the ex-pharaoh isn't passé and even then his foot is bouncing in the floor. Yami glances at his watch and decides that this is too much waiting. Standing up Yami takes one of the coats from the hooks by the door and puts it on, pulling the hood over his hair. Yami rummages in his pockets digging for his keys and finally pulling them out of amazingly deep pockets. He unlocks the front door, grabbing an extra jacket, and takes off into the heavy down pore.

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_Have fun reading, please review!_


	3. found

_Short I know but still going somewhere. I have hopes that we might actually be somewhere by the end of this. Thanks to everyone who put this on they're story alert list. Special thanks to () for adding me to your author alert list; you have more faith_ in me than I do. If you've forgotten, I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Yugi drifts back to reality, drawn by two bands of warmth wrapped around what might have been his sides. He hears his name from far away, carried on a familiar voice.

"Yami" he says and smiles knowing that his body is in good hands.

The warmth moves and Yugi wines because wile the back of his neck and behind his knees where cold too, it was nice to be hugged. Yugi feels weightless again and drifts off again with the thought 'Yami came back' warming his heart.

_Thanks for reading, please review!_


	4. finding

_I am alive in case anyone was wondering. But there was this fiasco with my bag being stolen and then I went on vacation, which was useful because I now have a deck! Please remember, I don't have a beta and I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh in any format. _

Each of Yami's footsteps splashes water onto his legs, numbing them. He wipes his eyes and squints trying to make the world clearer. No one lingers on the corners of the street so he runs on. No one at the bus stop, wait, there! Yami calls out "Yugi" from reflex and is running at the thought of _his_ hicari, _his_ light alone. He has already wrapped Yugi in a hug before checking for a pulse. Yugi mumbles something that Yami doesn't hear and yami responds by picking Yugi up bridal stile, right arm behind Yugi's head, left arm behind Yugi's knees lifting the limp body of his other half and starting to walk home.

_Did anyone pick up on the bridal carry from the last chapter? Have fun reading, please review!_


	5. on the mend

_It I said I was back from outer space, would you bleave me? Didn't think so. Sorry for the long update thing. I was trying to be more active on and fell behind on this. So yeah not dead, some of you might want that thou._

Yugi sleeps restlessly, feeling to warm under the blankets in his room. He shifts, trying to get away from fever-dream phantoms, to one side than the other nocks the wet cloth from his forehead and lets out a pained wine. He stills when familiar hands stroke his hair and falls back to dreams of him and Yami and warmth.

Yugi doesn't truly notice when gentle hands reposition him onto his back and lay the wet cloth onto his forehead again. Doesn't notice when one runs lightly over his cheek and ghosts over his lips. Doesn't see Yami almost cry for his almost dead hicari.

_You know the drill. Have fun reading, please review!_


	6. mothering

_A new chapter! This goes to everyone useing class time for something fandom related._

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Yami carries Yugi all the way home, past Solomon standing at the stairs and up to they're shared room. He sets his hicari on his bed and starts taking of the wet chose that Yugi is wearing careful not to disturb the sleeping boy. Afterwards Yami tucks Yugi in and checks his temperature moving one hand to Yugi's forehead and taking it back almost immediately.

Yami stands and walks back down the stairs and into the kitchen. Solomon stops him at the fridge all trace of the joking gamer gone and asks "what happened?"

"He was sitting at the bus stop in the rain" Yami replies blankly.

"Do you know why?"

"No"

"You're sure?"

"Yes"

Solomon moves out of the way and Yami mechanically to the freezer opens it and takes out a tray of ice and sets it on the counter. He looks thru the cabinets for a bowl even thou they always occupy the same space in the cabinet second from the left on the wall. Solomon gets one out saying "here" as he hands it to Yami.

Yami looks at it in a confused haze then nods and pours ice into the bowl some of the cubes missing the rim and falling to the floor. He fills the bowl up with cold water after setting the tray back on the counter. Yami rummages thru the doors looking for one of the cloth hand towels and, finding nothing, he slams the door closed making Solomon jump.

"Are you all right?" Solomon says concerned.

"Yes" Yami grinds out thru clenched teeth.

"No, you're not"

"Yes"

"No"

"Even if I'm not, Yugi takes priority" Yami says in a _brittle_ voice and, grabbing the bowl, he storms out of the kitchen to the bath room, yanks a towel off the rack and sprints up the stairs, rushing into there room, and closes the door quietly so as to not wake Yugi.

Yami pulls a chair to the edge of the bed Yugi sleeps in and sets down the bowl of ice water on the side table and dips the towel into it, letting the water _soak_ in. he twists the water out of the cloth and lays it on Yugi's forehead.

Yami sits in the chair with a bowed head and drifts to a restless sleep.

In front of him Yugi becomes restless. He wrestles the blankets on top of him. Fighting the fever dreams he nocks the towel from his forehead and his heavy breathing wakes Yami, who strokes Yugi's hair. Yugi settles and Yami straitens Yugi's limbs again and sets the cloth back on Yugi's forehead, and runs one hand over his cheek and across Yugi's lips.

After afue more minutes of tittering over his abou, Yami almost lest himself cry.

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_Have fun reading, please reveiw!_


	7. sleeping on gaurd

_Guess who's back, back again, Yugi's back, tell a friend. I have updated! Wow, I feel so proud of me. Not quite so proud as I feel after finishing my Jaden cosplay! Thanks to people who reviewed/faved the story._

Yugi opens his eyes, for the first time in two days, to the sight of Yami sitting in a chair that has been pulled up next to the bed. His head is falling backwards, and his breathing is heavy and even but the dark circles under Yami's eyes tell of long unrest.

Yugi crawls across the bed closer to Yami all the time, and decides that Yami 'needs to sleep' and starts to pull the ancient pharaoh onto the bed, struggling with the weight of the other body.

With some tugging and pulling and, Yugi is embarrassed to admit, a break to catch his breath, he manages to move Yami under the covers. Satisfied Yugi curls up next to he's other self and settles back to sleep, the fever finally broken. Without waking up Yami instinctively wraps an arm around Yugi's shoulders, ever ageist his hicari being hurt in any way.

Later Solomon will come to check on Yugi only to find Yami curled protectively around him, both fast asleep. When he sees this he will think that they have already made up, whatever problem resolved. He will be unprepared for the tuff talk in the morning.

_Come on everyone, say it together. Have fun reading, please review!_


	8. warming up

_I bet you all gave up and forgot about me. Well I'm not dead. Not even a little tiny bit. I hope you like reading this chapter because I had a rather fun time writing it._

When Yami wakes up he can hear water running. He feels the soft sheets that cover every inch of skin that isn't already covered in leather. And then I hits him that _Yugi_ was in the bed not him and Yugi isn't now. Yami panics and sits up at the same time he tries to get out of bed, gets tangled in the sheets, and promptly falls on his face. He untangles himself and starts moving tows the bathroom knowing that Yugi must be the person in the shower. He opens the door and rushes forward into the bathroom throws the shower curtain aside and hugs Yugi to himself.

Here are some of the key points that Yami left out.

1. There _can _be privacy between two people who share a body.

2. Yugi is in the shower and thus naked.

3. The water is still running.

Yugi is blushing, not a light pink on the cheeks blush, but a nice shade of red that lobsters might be proud of. Yami lets go and starts checking Yugi's tempahure running a cool hand over Yugi's forehead not noticing nor caring that his clothes are getting soaked.

Yami starts talking not really noticing that Yugi has started to shiver, "you have a slight fever still, how are you feeling?"

"c-ooo-l-d" Yugi answers with his teeth chattering.

Yami, as if coming out of a haze, blinks and then noticing the positing that Yugi is in, blushes and spins away, out of the room and closes the door behind him quietly. Less cold now that the door is closed, Yugi turns the water off carefully. He takes a towel from the rack and dries himself off then starts drying the floor with the same towel. When the blush has finally gone down Yugi wraps a new towel around his waist before leaving the bathroom.

_Have fun reading, please review!_


	9. guilt to the loyal

I believe that this is what counts as an apology from me. I hadn't been working on anything for a bit and just developed brain enough for a new chapter. For my Yami who gives me too many ideas.

Yami isn't in the room when Yugi opens the door. He isn't even in the closet when Yugi opens it for a fresh set of clothes. When Yugi gets dressed him mind is a blur of contradicting thoughts. 'Yami is mad at me' battles with 'yes, but he noticed' while 'what if's throw sucker punches at 'but this is what happened'.

He doesn't think about what clothes he is putting on just dresses on otto pilot ending up in his high school uniform even though it's a Sunday. Yugi moves through ideas and arguments and solutions the way Anzu moved through outfits, with the regard for others opinions that went into each combination that she wore.

At the door, dressed, ready to leave, Yugi has only one idea, only one solution. To apologize.

With his hand on the door knob he readies himself to leave his sanctuary. An apology. Anger boils in Yugi's heart and a burning truth springs to his lips and out into the empty air. "I shouldn't apologize. I shouldn't have to resort to almost dying to get their attention. There shouldn't be the need" he sighs heavily and runs the hand that was on the doorknob through his spiky hair before letting it drop to his side. Yugi's anger fades the way it came, quickly without warning, leaving an empty space where it had been and, inside that emptiness, guilt that he had said something so unloyal.

With a new sense of why he needs to apologize Yugi turns the knob and opens the door and starts to walk forward only to run into Yami standing on the other side of the door.

_Have fun reading, please review!_


	10. i forgive

_Another chapter up for the New Year! Happy Holis everyone._

Even with Yugi's most recent growth spurt he doesn't reach up to Yami's nose, barely brushing Yami's chin if you exempted his hair. With everything that Yami has done for him, driven people insane, killed, crippled, Yugi was never afraid. Because _they_ deserved it. They had enjoyed hurting and destroying people.

For the first time in ages Yugi is afraid. Afraid because with those words that spilled from his lips and his hatred, which had disappeared leaving only emptiness and guilt, Yugi thinks that he might deserve it too.

Yami has no anger. How could he have anger at his hicari's feelings? They're justified, oh so justified because with all that was happening, with Anzu who has her heart set on wooing him he says to himself, and having his own body, and a whole new world to duel in, that he had overlooked the one that was so precious to him.

There have always been gaps in Yami's memory, but they have come less and less now he has his own body. So he trusts his memory, now more than any other time, and rummages through all that has happened lately and comes up with only one memory that has Yugi, and solely Yugi in it from the last month. It is at this realization that all of the ex-pharaoh's air seams to evaporate and his legs fall beneath him, crumpling like a house of cards.

With the care the Yugi showed every being, even if it had wronged him, Yugi approached his Yami and knelt in front of him. Using a single hand Yugi tilts Yami's head back up from where it hung pridelessly. Yami's almost crimson eyes are dark and shadowed even when Yugi turns them tords the light. His entire body reads 'I hate me, so should you' and just gets worse when Yugi gives him a puzzled smile before leaning forward and kissing Yami on the forehead before whispering "don't worry, I forgive you" in a quiet warmth filled voice.

"How? After all I did, all that pain and anger?" Yami asks helplessly.

"Easy. I love you" Yugi answers with another smile.

Standing, Yugi never stops smiling. When he is at his full height, he offers his hand to his darkness sitting on the floor, saying "come on, we should get breakfast before it's all gone"

Yami stays sitting on the floor, just looking at Yugi with the final understanding of why Yugi is his hicari, why he is Yami, before taking the offered hand and walking down the stairs his hicari leading the way.

_I have met only two people can get me out of an 'I hate myself' slump. Both of them are girls. Both have been my best friend at one time or another. I have fallen in love with them. One I got over, the other still has me bewitched. Worst of all, I don't I can have either of them._

_ Read and review if you please._


	11. break fast

_Yes I am well aware that this is over due. Really over due. Like feel free to shoot me over due. Really._

Solomon is overjoyed when Yugi comes down stairs leading Yami by the hand because Yami looks out of it. There grandfather expresses it with a cheerful "All these young wiper-snappers" as he tips another pan full of scrambled eggs onto the serving plate.

Yugi's face lights up in a way that it hasn't truly done in a months time as he chirps "Good morning, Grandpa!"

That is when Yami straitens up bringing all of what had been missing since the hallway, the personality, the strength, the life, and directs all of who he is tords Yugi before, at the bodom of the stairs, dropping Yugi's hand and sweeping his hikari into the hug of the century. Yugi melts.

Solomon mock frowns and says "Hurry up, your breakfast is getting cold" and somewhere in the tite hug Yugi's muffled voice says "Yes Grandpa" and the world is right again.

Yami drops the hug and comes to the table and Yugi follows still smiling. Solomon turns off the stove and sits before digging into the food on the table occasionally he looks op to see Yugi pushing Yami into eating eggs and the occasional bite of toast and smiles glad that his grandson and his other half where back on good terms.

Breakfast continued normally until there was a knock at the door. Yami stood and walked to the door before opening to face "ah, Jounouchi. I was hoping it was you, we have matters to discuss"

_Have fun reading, please review!_


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